Welding rod transfer mechanism



April 10, 1945. c F- MAYER r Y 2,373,325

WELDING ROD TRANSFER MECHANISM Filed Feb. '12. 1941 INVENTOR.

BY Carl FMSHQFI 1w, Dim), Pam

ATTORNEYS.

Patented Apr. 10, 1945 WELDING: Ron riiANsEEaMEQ Carl F. Mayer, Lakewood; Ohio- App ication F bru ry 4 ScrialNm. 35 815311.

' 2 Claims. (.Cl.1 '98l25) Thisinvention pertains to welding rod tneatin and handling, apparatusand more--v particularly:

to conveying means, especially. suitable for use in ovens or so-called bakersof the kind employed for drying the flux coat ng: on welding rods.

. As is. well known. rods; of. this. character, in. lengths. ranging from 1 0. to, 24. inches or more,

aremade of ametal suited; to the particular kind.

with which they are intended for use in, welding operations. and are coated with. flux, the rods themselves. constituting the electrical conductors or. electrodes and being fuseddmthe. region of the are and. merged with the metalof the ohjectbqing.

welded, the coating of the. rod supplyingthe required in the operation,

The flux, while soft and. of about. the. consist,-

ency of putty, is applied. to. the od. desirab y by the extrusion process; and,.when dried, the. flux has approximately the solidity of commercial punk. During drying, especially duringtliev early stagesthereof, it is highly essential, that the rods.

be handled a efully s as not t njur r. disturb the flux coating and so as to effect complete drying hrou ho th entir rea of the c atin To t i end my nventio as as its main.- object to provide rod handling means consisting of horizontal conveyors compactly arranged in s11.-

perposed relation so, as to adapt said means to ovens or bakers of the above mentioned class, and to incorporate therein transfer mechanism that will speedily but gently and without injury to the coating carry the rods from the discharge end of one conveyor to the receiver end of a conveyor therebelow,

The foregoing and other objects hereinafter appearing, are attained in the embodiment 'of my invention illustrated in the accompanying drawing and set out in the claims appended hereto.

In the drawing, Figs. 1 and 2 are, respectively, a fragmentary plan view, and a fragmentary Side elevation, partly in section, of one of the conveyor chains; Fig. 3 is a detail 0,1? the transfer means for lowering the rods from one horizontal conveyor to another similar conveyor spaced a relatively short distance therebelow; Fig.4 is a. section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a detail view, similar to Fig. 3, showing the transfer means for lowering the rods from one conveyor to a second conveyor spaced a considerable distance below the first, and Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5. I

As shown best in Figs. 1 and 2, the conveyor chain is composed of identical outer links, 50, and inner links 5|, the latter being identical with esiae t ohe-ane er but d-ifie hs sligh yo hsfill: Eac h i mi v d d en h t: may be regarded its,- outer" edge Witha a, series of rodseais 5% The nks have ap tu iae nt their en s a d in." fabri at ng h ha n, a rs. of

inner.- links are, alternated; with pairs of outer links and are; over-lapped. to align the" apertures.

Pins; 54., with rollers m unted; thereon. ave their ends extended of adjacent links.

thronghthe apertures of adiac nt i ks and: proided ther b v nd with abut-merits. 0. h ads 55; h ea .e being spaced. fa nou h pa t to n.- ure fr edom. f movem nt. of; the ink n h rollers about. pins. As will be. ob ervedfrom 'ia. h roll rs ex n ey nd. t e P ane. of the. inner edges. of they links. At. the ends of;v th

conv yo s; the chainsaw en esedfahollt sprocketwlieel's. 5,1; 5]}-L (E'igs. 3} to 6.), that are mounted n shaf s 5.8.. 58*.

I; shall-- now, des ribe. the tr ns e means. for

hiftihathe w lidl a .v r ds R i 2.). from. h

upper conveyor 0, to the lower conveyor a3, reference. bein ad. Pa icular y o. s. and Considering the discharge, or right hand QndQf h uppe conveyor c diskelike embers 60 ar mounted on a shaft 58 inwardly of sprocketsv 5] bou w h. he con e or hains are engaged; a id. sa d. memb s a ry radialflns 6 tha x.- tend a greater distance from the axis'of the shaft 58 than the rod seats 52 0f the chain links when said links pass about the adjacent sprocket wheels 51. Thus it will be seen that the members 60 and fins 6| make up a cylindrical structure having the appearance of a paddle wheel that is supported by the shaft 58 between the opposed chains of the conveyor under consideration and spaced about the circumference of which, between the 'fins 6|, are what may be termed rod pockets 62. Suitably supported in association with said conveyor, as by a cross bar 64, are curved guides that follow the contour of the adjacent cylindrical structure downwardly and under the same, and the free ends of the guides gradually descend below the plane of the top flight of the conveyor next below. To provide clearance for the guides 65 the fins 6| are provided with notches 66. As a consequence of the foregoing arrangement, a welding rod, being carried about the discharge end of the conveyor, drops by gravity from the rod seats 52 onto the adjacent fin El and is conveyed downwardly thereby. As soon as said fin descends below a horizontal position the rod coasts against the guides 65 and is sustained thereby as it is carried down by the fin and when released by the latter descends along which I shall now describe and which is shown in detail in Figs. and 6. This transfer means also serves to return to proper transverse position on the conveyors any rods that are awry.

Sprocket wheels 51*, about which the chains i positely moving conveyor 1) is transfer means one from the other and supported for rotation on the same axis, conveyor chains,. one engaged about each sprocket, each chain having closely spaced well defined rod seats consisting of notches in the links of the chain and that are substantially in transverse alignment with those of the other chain, rod conveying means below said conveyor chains, and a cylindrical structure supported for rotation between said sprocket wheels and on the same axis and including circumferentially spaced rod pockets, said pockets extending substantially from one sprocket wheel to the other and each having the capacity to accommodate several rods, and guide means extending downwardly and under the cylindrical structure, the lower portion of the guide means being inclined gradually downwardly to the horizontal and descending to substantially the plane of the at the discharge end of the conveyor now under I consideration are engaged, are fastened to a shaft 58 Secured to said shaft, inwardly of said sprocket wheels, are similar wheels I0. Suitably supported below the shaft 5min parallel relation thereto and to one side of its vertical plane, is a shaft '1 l by which are carried sprocket wheels 12 that are in the planes of the former wheels 10. Engaged abouteach sprocket; wheel 10 and the corresponding sprocket wheel 12 is an-endless chain 13, and carried by the link of the two chains I3 are fins 15, said fin being spaced apart about the same distance as the fins 6l of the previously described transfer means. Thus, rod pockets 16 are provided between adjacent fins l5 inwhich the rods are carried. downward from the discharge end of the present conveyor, and as the fins, moving about the lower sprocket wheels 12, descend below horizontal position, the rods gravitate against guides 11, similar to the previously mentioned guides 65. The present guides are supported by a cross bar I8. The welding rods; when released by the fins 1-5, coast down and oii'the guides to find seats on the conveyor below; The fins 15 have notches 19 to provide clearance for the guides 11.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

l. A welding rod conveyor and transfer means comprising two sprocket wheels spaced laterally rod supporting parts of the said rod conveying means.

2. A welding rod conveyor and transfer means comprising two sprocket wheels spaced laterally one from the other and supported for rotation on the same axis, conveyor chains, one engaged about each sprocket, each chain having closely spaced well defined rod seats substantially in transverse alignment with those of the other chain, rod conveying means below said conveyor chains, and a cylindrical structure supported for rotation between said sprocket wheel and on the same axis and including disk-like and members and fins spaced a substantial distance apart circumferentially thereof and disposed longitudinally of said structure, said fins extending outwardly beyond the plane of the rod seats of the conveyor chains as the latter pass about said sprocket wheels, the spaces between adjacent fins serving as rod pockets, each having the capacity to accommodate several rods, and guides spaced radially beyondthe plane of the rod pockets of the conveyor chains wher said chains pass downwardly and under the sprockets, the outer edges of the fins being notched to provide clearance for said guides, and the lower end portions of the guides being inclined slightly to the horizontal and descending below the rod supporting parts of the said rod conveying means.

CARL F. MAYER. 

